Review Fix chats with City of Auburn’s Michael Osborn, who discusses the band’s origin, standout track “In Waiting†and goals for 2016. With a full-length album on the way, they’ve got a bright future ahead of them.
Review Fix: How did the band get together?
Michael Osborn: City of Auburn started off as a solo-project, but I really wanted to push the project forward and I knew I couldn’t do what I wanted alone. I’ve been in a couple of bands previous to this, and I developed a lot of good friendships along the way. I ended up having a lineup already laid out for me. We’ve just been jamming ever since.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Osborn: Usually it’s goes one of two ways, it’s either I’ll have an idea stuck in my head and I’ll hash it out on guitar, or I’ll already be on an instrument playing around until I like something. Everything starts pretty small. As far as the lyrics go, I try to keep things in an album perspective, meaning that I try to make the album that’s pretty much surrounded by a certain idea or concept but still having every song still have its own identity. It’s becomes pretty personal, because you have to put a piece of yourself in each part.
Review Fix: What’s your standout song? How was it written?
Osborn: I think a song we have that can grab people’s attention is our single ‘In Waiting.’ We have a music video for it, and it’s also the opener track on our EP Soul Searcher. Funny thing is, that track actually wasn’t supposed to make the album, in fact it wasn’t even written. I had a completely different song that was planned to be the opener, but looking at the flow of the other songs I realized that this song didn’t have a place on the album at all. It was so different and it just was a complete oddball to the rest. Recording was literally the next week and I dropped the song from the album. I started freaking out because I needed an opener track but had no ideas at all and it had to be done in less than a week. I was driving to work and I was so stressed about it that I literally started praying to God that he’d provide me another song. I think it was about halfway through my set, all these lyrics started filling my head. I jotted them down and it only took me a few minutes. When I got home at midnight, all the music came to me as well. I finalized everything the next day and what I wrote in that day is what was on the album. It ended up being the single and now it’s the song we open with live. It was such an answer to prayer.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2016?
Osborn: We’re recording a new album, and I’d like to get it released around September. At least that’s the plan. Definitely want to do some tours, plan some music videos, and start to do plan the next album. Lots and lots of cool things to come for sure.
Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?
Osborn: I want to be real with people. I think transparency is something that’s kind of lost in some music nowadays. I just want people to listen to what we do and see honesty, and to truly see our hearts. I think people are going to walk away with something new. I want to bring something new to the table.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Osborn: Be on the lookout for our debut full-length album later this year. We’re going to do some tours and we might just visit where you are. I’m open to anything at all

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